During field artillery fire-mission preparations, battery personnel must monitor the temperature of modular artillery charge systems (MACS). Propellant charges stored in external ammunition readiness racks must be stabilized between 60°F and 70°F before loading. If ambient exposure causes propellant temperature to drop below 40°F, crews are required to record the exact casing surface temperature in the computerized fire direction system (FDS) rather than attempting rapid artificial heating. Artificial heating can degrade the nitrocellulose binder and cause erratic chamber pressures. Once registered in the FDS, ballistic software automatically recalculates muzzle velocity deviations to adjust the gun's quadrant elevation.
According to the passage, what specific action must artillery crews take if propellant charge temperatures drop below 40°F?
- AApply rapid artificial heating to raise the propellant back to standard temperature.
- Record the exact casing surface temperature in the computerized fire direction system.Cevap
- CManually recalculate ballistic muzzle velocity deviations prior to gun elevation.
- DReturn the cooled propellant modules to external readiness racks for thermal stabilization.